How to cook king crab legs without a steamer

Do you glance at the frozen crab legs in your grocer’s freezer section and then walk on by because they seem like far too much work? Don’t be put off by their upscale reputation—crab legs can be turned into a quick and easy main dish with the right recipe. This Boiled Crab Legs recipe allows you to serve up a delicious seafood dinner in just 15 minutes.

Table of Contents Show

Are frozen crab legs already cooked?
Crab Nutrition Facts
By Stovetop Steaming
By Oven-Steaming
By Grill-Steaming
By Microwaving
Grilled Crab Legs (2 Servings)
Ingredients
Instructions
Did you make this recipe?
How do you cook crab legs without a steamer?
What's the best way to cook king crab legs at home?
Is it better to boil or steam crab legs?
How do you steam crab without a steamer?

Before cooking king crab legs on the grill, preheat the grill on low. Then, cut the legs at the joints to make sure they fit on the grill and brush the legs with oil. Once the grill is heated, set the legs on the surface of the grill and cook them for 5 minutes on each side before serving them with melted butter and lemon wedges. Alternatively, boil crab legs by filling a large pot with water and bringing it to a boil. Once it boils, add the crab legs, reduce heat to keep the water simmering and cook the legs for 5 to 7 minutes before removing with tongs, and serving with butter and lemon. To learn how to bake king crab legs, read on!

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Cooked Crab Legs That Have Been Steamed: – Insert a wire rack or basket into the base of a big stockpot. Add one cup water. Set crab legs on the rack (as many as your pot will accommodate). Bring the water to a boil, then cover and steam simmer the ingredients until aromatic and scorching hot (5-10 minutes). Frozen crab legs take longer to cook than defrosted crab legs.

Description – Baked Crab Legs are a simple and mess-free method of preparing crab legs.

4 to 6 clusters of snow crab OR 4 to 8 legs of king crab
ghee or melted butter for dipping

Snow Crab Legs (Fresh/Defrosted is best)

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place crab legs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Avoid stacking them, since this may extend the baking time.
Middle rack in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove and touch gently to confirm if they are hot to the touch. If not, toss them back in the oven for 5 minute intervals until they are well heated.
Serve immediately with melted butter or ghee.

The legs of a snow crab (Frozen)

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place crab legs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Avoid stacking them, since this may extend the baking time.
Middle rack in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove and touch gently to confirm if they are hot to the touch. If not, toss them back in the oven for 5-minute intervals until they are well heated.
Serve immediately with melted butter or ghee.

See also: How Long Does It Take To Bake Lasagna?

Fresh/thawed King Crab Legs (recommended method)

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place crab legs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Avoid stacking them, since this may extend the baking time.
Middle rack in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove and touch gently to confirm if they are hot to the touch. If not, toss them back in the oven for 5 minute intervals until they are well heated.
Serve immediately with melted butter or ghee.

King Crab Legs (Frozen)

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place crab legs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Avoid stacking them, since this may extend the baking time.
Place on the center rack of the oven for 18-22 minutes.
Remove and touch gently to confirm if they are hot to the touch. If not, toss them back in the oven for 5 minute intervals until they are well heated.
Serve immediately with melted butter or ghee.

Are frozen crab legs already cooked?

Cooking advice from the Betty Crocker kitchens – When following this recipe for Boiled Crab Legs, do not overcrowd the stockpot; boil the legs in stages. tip 2 Frozen crab legs are typically already cooked, so you only need to reheat them in hot water.

When caught, crab legs are mostly steamed before they’re flash-frozen for storage. And we regularly come across recipes instructing that you thaw frozen crab legs before you cook them. But what if you can’t spare the extra waiting time or didn’t get the chance to defrost seafood? Or you did but can’t access a standard steamer at the moment?

Crab Nutrition Facts

Since steamers are specially designed to cook food by releasing steam into it, you may fear you can’t do without one. But the beauty of recipes is with an open mind; you’ll always find new ways to make the same old stuff. Steaming frozen crab legs are no exception, as even without a steamer, you can still cook the seafood without thawing. And here are four impressive and convenient ways to do it;

By Stovetop Steaming

If you have a pot and some foil, you can quickly create makeshift steaming equipment to cook frozen cab legs on the stove. What you do is forge three balls of about four inches in diameter from foil and arrange them at the bottom of a saucepan. Next, add some water to about three inches of the pot, place the pot on the stove and let it boil. Then, place the frozen crab legs on the foil balls, cover the saucepan, and leave it to steam for about seven to 14 minutes.

By Oven-Steaming

An oven is also very convenient for cooking frozen crab legs. Plus, with it, you can prepare a large batch simultaneously while you make the other dishes on the stovetop. To use the oven, first set it to preheat to 350F. Next, lay the frozen crab legs in a baking dish and add some water- about 1/8 inch. Then, seal the pan with heavy-duty foil and toss it in the oven. Leave it to cook for about eight to 10 minutes.

By Grill-Steaming

Many foods can be steamed on a grill rack, whether indoor or outdoor, including crab legs. The trick is the same as any other, wrapping it in foil and placing it over the heat. And this method allows you to influence the frozen crab legs with so much flavor and smokiness. First, to prepare steamed crab legs by grilling, arrange the crab legs in clusters and place each batch in two layers of foil (heavy-duty). Add some tablespoons of butter, and if you want, some aromatics and herbs. Then, heat the grill and place the wrapped crab legs over indirect heat. Cover the lid and let it cook for about 12 to 15 minutes. You can also wrap the frozen crab legs individually, which works when you’re cooking a small amount. In such cases, the legs should cook over the covered grill for about eight to 10 minutes.

By Microwaving

This method may sound appalling, but it creates tremendous results with frozen crab legs. The reason is microwave ovens offer an ideal steam-cooking environment, especially for seafood. To use this technique, put the legs in a microwave bag and add a tablespoon of water. Add some aromatics, cover, and place the bag in the microwave. Set it to high and leave it to cook for about three to four minutes.

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Grilled Crab Legs (2 Servings)

Author: Bobby

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Two pounds snow crab legs

Dipping sauce

Four tablespoons butter, unsalted
Two cloves garlic, minced
½ tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 tablespoon black pepper

Instructions

Set the grill to medium or high heat, so it heats to 450F. Next, place the frozen crab legs in clusters of four in a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Pull in and fold the foil ends to seal tightly.
Place the wrapped clusters on the grill, cover the lid, and let it cook for 25 minutes. The crab legs should steam when you open the foil.
For the sauce, melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then, add the garlic, black pepper, and sea salt. Stir for about 30 seconds, by which it’ll be appropriately mixed and the fragrance pronounced. Then, set down and stir in the lemon juice. Serve alongside the grilled crab legs.

Also, take a look at this video recipe for more directions.

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How do you cook crab legs without a steamer?

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Season the water with 1 tablespoon of salt, if desired. Submerge crab legs into the boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from water and serve with melted butter, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon wedges for squeezing over meat.

What's the best way to cook king crab legs at home?

Lay the crab legs on a large sheet of foil. Bring up the sides of the foil and crimp them together to form a sealed package. Transfer the foil-wrapped crab legs to a sheet tray and place in the oven at 400˚F for 15 – 18 minutes. Remove from the foil package from the oven and discard the foil.

Is it better to boil or steam crab legs?

The best way to cook them is by steaming them. The gentle, moist heat helps preserve the pure, sweet taste and the tender texture of the meat. They're also less likely to overcook and turn rubbery or lose their flavorful juices, as they often do when they are boiled.

How do you steam crab without a steamer?

Place a steam basket at the bottom of a large stockpot with 1 cup of water. Add as many crab legs as your pot will accommodate and still close the lid tightly. Bring the water to a boil then cover and steam cook until fragrant and steaming hot (about 5 minutes for thawed or 10 minutes for frozen crab legs).